The Times We've Had
by Madnesz23
Summary: A short story about my 'Spectrum Jewel' story for when it actually comes to its end or the first parts end (If I stop being lazy about it and the other stories). It is the aftermath and all about that Knuckles.


Knuckles was cool with chilling on his island alone, it was his duty, his sacred rite to protect the Master Emerald, but this time was... different as he looked to the sky. He recalled in clear detail that the war consumed the land below took quite a change in the span of months and he had to use the Master Emerald to contain the widespread effects of the blue fox's gemstone, the Spectrum Jewel he believed that it was called, and even then, it caused too much change in the world...

His eyes opened fully as he recalled the youth ball of energy that rushed about the shrine, white quills of his races with markings of wings on her back was the most excitement he had in... years, Rouge was normally the cause, but his devotion to the young echidna girl took over as he felt... glad that there was more of his race, even more that she showed for his history, his tribe, and how mush she wanted to be a part of it to just lighten his day. He sat up and looked at his hand before cupping over his face as he recalled his first argument with Gem, the look of pain on her face was heartbreaking and he spend the next days to find her, bringing her back in her sicken state and nursing her to health before apologizing for his own behavior toward her, he recalled that he broke into tears about it and felt her hug back, despite all of it.

The hands lowered for him to look at them again, the hands that held her when she fell deathly sick and felt sudden despair, it was not just some girl, it was one that bound with him and his history, his... family, and when Rouge arrived to take the Emerald, he recalled his anger, his rage toward her for even coming while there was someone dying in his home. Rouge proved stronger after a moment of shock and demanded the Emerald to be used to halt the Spectrum Jewel, to stop its power from flowing across the world and he agreed without pause as he used it and the G.U.N. Forces captured the fox and Knuckles headed back home, stopping and cupping his mouth, dropping to his knees as she, his Gem, was gone, her body fading away in a form of chaos energy, something broke in his body and he changed for the worse this time as Angel Island hadn't stopped once and kept moving on its own, not giving any one a chance to catch him and his darkness. Finally, he stood up and walked down to his small hut and the door swung open, his being walking in as he had seen many things that left their marks on his soul before he stood before a mural, her mural as she personally carved it out and he rested his head on it when it entered his hands. "Oh, Gem... What cruel twist took you away, that would dare to steal away such a bountiful soul of life...?"

"His name is Alexander, we called him Aether for the most part." Knuckles glanced up and growled as he wheeled to shout, but stopped as Rouge stood there, but she didn't wear her jumpsuit as a spy and thief, she was dressed in a casual blouse, short skirt, and heels of the very black of night itself. She stepped in as she took in the mural and, without Knuckles' resistance, she lightly took the mural as she smoothed a hand over it, the image given was Knuckles, the girl Gem, but also herself as she spoke, tears dripping down as she spoke. "Stupid, right, the most beautiful gem thief crying over such a small life." She cupped her mouth as she just let the tears fall. "It is made worse that I never got to know her better, what kind of surrogate mother am I to not even get to know the little girl that was created from both you and me." She closed her eyes as Knuckles watched with shock in his face. "Pathetic, I am just too weak to even admit it without letting my own feelings snap in my body."

"But... Gem, she... she was pure echidna..." Rouge breathed as she started, her legs aching to collapse so she sat on his bed as she spoke.

"Yes, but echidnas were often red or a warm color, were them not?" Knuckles didn't answer as Rouge continued. "You are not really the only one suffering from this, Amy had cried her eyes out when Gale is even mention, Shadow has been far more broody and his trigger finger is just aching so much that we have had to relocate for his firearms practice and Blaze... Blaze hasn't come out of her chambers for days, even Silver has issues getting her out. But it's Tails that has it the worse, he looks distant when a chat goes on, his hands move like they are playing with a toddler, and his heart... oh, Cream had trouble getting that to open, but now she can't seem to find the lock hole in his fortress now..." Rouge rested the mural of stone on the bed as she continued. "No one has been able to crack that fox, Shadow can't even do it, so I thought of you and if you could help, all of this was his doing in one way or another." Knuckles felt his hands gripped at the thought to bash some answers out of the fox, but he clamed down and relaxed as he answered with a question.

"And the Master Emerald...?"

"G.U.N. has units all over the island when it finally stopped for us to catch up with you." She stood back up and spoke. "Follow me, the base is not far and we can get answers quickly from there." And so, the last guardian headed out to hear what this blue fox was up to, now that he was contained in the prisons of G.U.N., with hope that he would stay there...

* * *

Knuckles entered in suit of Rouge as hundreds of soldiers, civilians, and devices were being stored there, far enough for no one to get any ideas, but close enough that they have their weapons if a situation arose, the way that Rouge spoke of them was... praise, they were a well-oiled army against both the Eggman Empire and G.U.N., their leaders unique as they were both unknown to the parts around the world of Mobius itself and were renegade Egg Army officers like Clove and Cassia their method of initial transport going by the sea itself as they used an old G.U.N. carrier to get things done.

Knuckles kept close as he entered the interrogation room with Rouge and she sat down, they waiting before the door opened with the blue fox walking in. For the first time, Knuckles looked at this figure that cost him both his peace and hop, but his look was terrible as a scar slashed past his left eye, giving it the look of a blind eye, his body was riddled with scars and scratches that he wondered how he had gone on like that, and the bags under those same eyes gave him the look of someone who suffered nightmares on the daily as Rouge spoke. "Alexander... how long has it been now since our last talk?"

"Two days, Miss Rouge, one day and twenty-two hours if you want the technical side of it." The blue fox showed no resistance as he sat down in the chair on the other side of the glass and his cuffs were undone as he just... sat there. "You know, the prison is doing their daily betting on my survival in here, it's slimmed down to a day to three, where is your bet?" Knuckles didn't expect what Rouge said as she answered.

"This is Knuckles, Guardian of Angel Island, he and I have some questions for you." The fox lost his smile as he spoke, shadows covering his eyes.

"Questions, you say... well, shoot..." Knuckles watched as Rouge got out of the chair and offered it to him and he sat down before he spoke.

"Rouge said that you were responsible for Gem... for her disappearance and the chaos across the world, tell me that she was either joking or that you were this 'terrible' being." Alexander rolled his tongue before he spoke, the phone hoisted to his ear once more.

"Yeah... I was the chaos in this world in recent days and I did end her life..." Knuckles balled his fist, but Alexander beat him to the punch as he continued. "However, I had no interests to interfere with the world further than freeing the oppressed people and civilians that filled the villages and cities that I have come across, my interest started first as a search for a lost friend." The fox looked down as he continued. "But, as it turned out, he worked for the same force that holds me here and this whole thing got worse with my involvement of my tool..." He reached into his pants and pulled out a small jewel, it hovering in his hand as its fourteen motes of multicolored energy swirled in their dance. "I was foolish, I just left it open and Ivo took a shot, that blast unleashed a burst of chaotic energy, mixed with something else, something of order, as ten motes were lost from within this vessel." Rouge pushed off from the wall as Knuckles listened, the fox resting his head against the glass as the Jewel returned. "It was the final battle and Robotnik somehow forced me into a corner, I started to panic and that fear and despair returned all of them to me, I felt these shattered hearts, their broken souls, I felt everything, but my mind was clouded as I destroyed the machine and nearly killed Ivo himself before I found myself again." Knuckles turned to Rouge as she spoke, the phone not activated for the moment as Knuckle hung it up for the moment.

"That is more than he was willing to say to anyone, not even Sonic could get him to talk that well, keep him talking, Knuckles... please." Not once had he heard Rouge say please in such a remorseful tone. He picked the phone back up and spoke.

"So what was the Spectrum Jewel and how did it connect to this world...?" Alexander laid back as he spoke into the phone.

"It was connecting to this world through its most powerful objects, the Chaos Emeralds." Knuckles attempted to raise a question, but it seemed like Alexander was ahead once more. "I don't know how it was formed, nor do I have the process to make more as G.U.N. keeps PUSHING for." Rouge lightly glared as Alex said that before he continued. "But seven motes within corresponded with the Chaos Emeralds, even tested it and a single mote is minorly more powerful than the Emerald itself, it further linked to a alternate or a different set of Emeralds called Sol Emeralds." He leaned back again as he continued, Knuckles finding it strange that there were no guards on routine, Rouge noticing the same as she peered about. "When Ivo shot his blast and shattered the motes, those same motes paired up with their counterpart and formed five groups, each group somehow and in some way formed..." Alexander paused as he leaned forward with elbows on the desk, Knuckles fully taking in the bloodied look the fox had. "Subjects is a bad word for them, they were alive, living beings and... I wrongfully stole those lives for nearly ending another. So I will say something else... Those groups formed children, using the air and the energy of the area in question to develop living, breathing bodies for them to inhabit, but they went further by developing those bodies with those that would interact with them the most, so it went down to a genetic level..." Alex rubbed his neck as he continued. "...Sorry, I... can't say anymore, they were... I have no right to continue talking about them... it hurts too much..." And just like that, the phone returned and Alexander stood up, stepping around and reentering the corridor to the prison before Knuckles finally moved, putting the phone back as he stood up as well and headed out, pausing at the door as he looked at Rouge.

"Hey..." The thief and spy looked at him as he spoke. "Thanks for bringing me... I, at the very least, know what happened and how this all started." He looked down the walk and he continued. "But it's back to the island for me... I just haven't done enough..." With that, he left the room behind as Rouge whispered, his steps disappearing to the outside.

"You and me both, Knuckles... You and me both..."

* * *

Knuckles peered up to the sky once more as Angel Island headed out once more, this time slower as Knuckles breathed it all in, he was alone again, but it was no longer an issue that her memories and moments lingered, they were a welcoming sound before he paused and sat up, he sensed... something or someone else on his island and they stepped out, his eyes widening as the figure in the corner from the prison arrived, adjusting gloves as yellow quills lined down his body as he rested a hand on his hip with a smile. "My boss wanted me to give you a message, Guardian." The yellow echidna continued as he pointed a finger. "Guard your Emerald with all you got, he is coming to pick it up and see what can be done with it." Just as the message left his lips, the echidna changed color and disappeared as Knuckles stood up, fists gripped as he recognized the coat-of-arms on him as the same one on the gear at the prison, the grayed-out emerald with a cross in the background, and he got the feeling that there was more trouble to come...


End file.
